iPad Mini 4 Getting Split-Screen Multitasking (Report)

By
Michael Andronico, Editor
|
August 12, 2015 05:54 am

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While Apple's iPad Air 2 is the only tablet confirmed to support iOS 9's upcoming Split View, the handy multitasking feature could be making its way to smaller screens. According to documentation discovered within OS X El Capitan, the rumored iPad Mini 4 (and its Mini 3 predecessor) will have the same split-screen functionality as its bigger brother when it arrives this fall.

This discovery was made by 9to5Mac and noted developer Hamza Sood, who worked together to find a resource file within El Capitan's Safari browser that shows what appears to be Split View running on an iPad Mini. Sood and 9to5Mac discovered more evidence within a Safari developer tool for testing website responsiveness on various devices; among the iPhone and iPad displays available for testing, an icon that shows an iPad Mini 3 in Split View mode can be seen at the top.

Split View, which allows users to use two apps at once on the iPad's display, is one of several multitasking features slated to come to iOS 9 this fall. There's also a picture-in-picture mode for watching videos on the corner of your screen, as well as a Slide Over function for quickly swiping in select apps, such as Mail or Messages. While the latter two features are already confirmed to work on iPad Mini, it looks like those with Apple's smallest slate will get to utilize Split View as well.

Aside from better multitasking, the iPad Mini 4 is expected to be a condensed version of the iPad Air 2, with improved guts and a thinner design than the Mini 3. The slate is rumored to tout improved cameras, as well as an Apple A8 processor or newer with faster performance.

Apple is expected to unveil its next iPhone models during a Sept. 9 press event, though new iPads have typically debuted during a separate event in October. We'll be on the ground in Cupertino for all of the company's fall briefings, so stay tuned for the official word.

A devout gamer and tech enthusiast, Mike Andronico joined the Laptop team in July 2013. With a B.A. in Journalism from Purchase College and experience at GameNGuide, Examiner and 2D-X, Mike tackles everything from iPhone rumors to in-depth hardware reviews.